Campaigning ends for seven LS seats in Bihar

Patna, April 28: Loudspeakers fell silent today in seven Bihar Lok Sabha constituencies where polling would take place on April 30 in the fourth of the six phase elections in the state.

The seats are Madhubani, Jhanjharpur, Madhepura, Darbhanga, Samastipur (SC, Reserved), Begusarai and Khagaria falling in the Kosi river belt.

Prominent among the 94 candidates are JD(U) President Sharad Yadav from Madhepura, who was being challenged by RJD's Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, former Union Minister and BJP leader Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav from Madhubani, cricketer-turned BJP leader Kirti Azad from Darbhanga and his challenger former Union Minister and RJD leader M A A Fatmi.

There are also five women nominees in fray. An electorate of 1.12 crore electors would exercise their franchise in 10521 polling stations. Among star campaigners were BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi who held election meetings at Saharsa, Madhubani and Darbhanga on April 24, after he filed his own nominations from the Varanasi constituency, besides party colleague Sushma. Other campaigners were Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD President Lalu Prasad.

No big leader from Congress campaigned for this phase of the elections. While BJP sought votes to make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister, the rival parties concentrated on stopping 'communal forces'. Polling would end at 4:00 PM in three Assembly segments of Mahisi in Madhepura and Simri Bhakhtiyarpur and Aluali in the Khagaria seat.

It would end at 6:00 PM in other places. Repoll would also be held in Sahebpur Kamal Assembly seat in Begusarai district. The repoll was necessitated after former minister Parveen Amanullah resigned from the Nitish Kumar cabinet and also gave up her Assembly seat to join AAP. Altogether 59,000 personnel of the central paramilitary forces and state police and two helicopters would be deployed during the elections.